Ndamukong Suh hasn't shown up for conditioning workouts this week with his teammates, but players aren't bothered by his absence.AP File Photo

ALLEN PARK -- Detroit Lions tailback Reggie Bush is excited to reunite with Joe Lombardi. He's excited to get to know Jim Caldwell. He's excited to be back with his teammates this week.

"It's good to have everybody here right now," he said, "and everybody's working."

Everybody?

What about Ndamukong Suh, who has yet to show up for offseason conditioning while the rest of his teammates get to work putting a 7-9 season behind them?

That's when Bush acknowledged Suh's absence, but added it does not bother players.

"From what I know, it's a contract thing," Bush said Thursday morning. "That's the business side of it, and we all go through it. Everyone understands. No one's looking down on him."

Suh's agent, Jimmy Sexton, is in the embryonic stages of working out an extension with the team that could make Suh the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. So that's one possible explanation for his absence.

But he's missed chunks of offseason programs before, so it's possible, perhaps likely, the contract has little to do with him skipping town. (And Bush did later add he hasn't spoken directly to Suh.)

Rather, it seems more likely Suh just prefers to work out away from the team, as he's done in the past. And three Pro Bowls in four years proves that system works for him.

But he was anointed a defensive captain for the first time last season, and has caught some flak publicly from those who believe he has a responsibility to be here to help transition the team into the Caldwell era.

Bush, a veteran leader of the offense (though not a captain), said the team doesn't share that belief.

"I'm sure as soon as he can be here, he'll be here," Bush said.

It seems almost every other player has attended conditioning this week, and Caldwell emphasized they are getting a fresh start.

"(Caldwell) just talked about like I said a clean slate, starting over, starting fresh and just building," Bush said. "Building that championship mentality, and it starts right now.

"It starts in the offseason, and the veteran leadership is going to be important. We're going to have keep guys healthy and just make sure everybody's here."